Remembering Villanovans鈥� World War II Service and Sacrifices, 80 Years On
This Memorial Day, 91探花University honors and remembers the service and sacrifices of the 鈥淕reatest Generation.鈥�
鈥淪hip鈥檚 company鈥� (non-commissioned Marine personnel) affiliated with Villanova鈥檚 V-12 program, 1943. Courtesy of the 91探花University Archives.
During the 1942-43 academic year, 91探花College found itself in a period of great uncertainty.
With World War II unfolding, and with the United States having officially entered the fray, nearly every aspect of American life was disrupted, and the day-to-day on campus was no exception.
Plans for an elaborate celebration, commemorating Villanova鈥檚 100th anniversary, had been reduced to a Solemn Mass and convocation in deference to events transpiring across the globe. The traditional academic calendar had been abandoned for a wartime schedule that, according to the 1944 Belle Air yearbook, better 鈥淸enabled] a youth to get a maximum amount of college [experience] before being called to the colors.鈥� And, with mass conscription and enlistment soon to decimate the then-all-male school鈥檚 enrollment numbers, the administration worked to bring a steady stream of officer candidates to campus through the .
Amid the sea change, as the war effort ramped up along Lancaster Pike, 91探花students tried their best to make the most of their time in college. Blackouts, air-raid drills and compulsory physical-fitness classes were part of their regular routines, but so too were intramural sports, extracurricular activities and the occasional 鈥渉op鈥� (dance). They even had one of the country鈥檚 top basketball teams to rally behind鈥攍ed to a 19-2 record by , a talented point guard from Northeast Philadelphia.
Still, over almost every student program, activity and interaction, the shadow of world events hung. Fraternities dispensed with their annual dinner parties because celebrating seemed 鈥�,鈥�&苍产蝉辫;The Villanovan鈥檚 staff cut their weekly output from eight pages to four to conserve 鈥溾�� for the war effort, and seniors took to a winter prom in part to accommodate gasoline-rationing restrictions. Meanwhile, Drizin and the Wildcats would face their stiffest tests against a New York-based team composed entirely of Coast Guard recruits and a Seton Hall squad that disbanded immediately after their matchup鈥攏o longer able to field a roster, with all but two players enlisting.
Bit by bit, with each passing week, the nation was scaling up its involvement in World War II, calling more and more of its young men to fight on distant seas, faraway shores and foreign terrain. As the academic year drew to a close, with the outcome of the conflict still uncertain, scores of 91探花students and alumni would join their number, marching bravely into the unknown.
Gathering at the 91探花train station, students with the Army Enlisted Reserve say goodbye to faculty and classmates and prepare to depart for active duty, April 5, 1943. Courtesy of the 91探花University Archives.
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In many respects, Villanova鈥檚 World War II years seem like a distant memory. The Jake Nevin Field House no longer serves as a 鈥渟hip鈥檚 store鈥� for Navy and Marine trainees. Campus鈥� victory gardens, which supplemented war rations with fresh produce, have given way to manicured landscaping. And khaki unforms, 鈥渨inter blues鈥� and 鈥渟ummer whites,鈥� standard attire for the V-12 program, are seldom spotted on Lancaster Avenue.
However, while the scenes, sights and sounds of the early-to-mid 1940s may have faded away, efforts to learn from and honor the legacy of that period in Villanova鈥檚 history have not.
For Michael Brown, director of the University鈥檚 Office of Veterans and Military Service Members, unearthing, recording and highlighting the stories of that era is an ongoing endeavor. In collaboration with Michael Foight, who supervises the Falvey Library鈥檚 Distinctive Collections and Digital Engagement Department, he actively works to keep the memories of Villanova鈥檚 World War II service members alive through a series of rotating exhibits, online resources and research projects.
鈥淚nstead of just having their names somewhere on campus, we really try to tell their stories, so people can understand who they were,鈥� shared Brown, who oversees the 鈥溾�� and 鈥溾�� websites. 鈥淭hings like where they were born, what they studied here, whether they played any sports and what clubs they were in.鈥�
Clockwise, from top left: Navy V-12 students progress from the Commerce and Finance Building (today’s Vasey Hall), 1940s; Navy V-12 students Jack McGowan, Edward Crotty and William Butler pose for a photograph, 1943; and Ensign Maniaci calls roll, 1943. Courtesy of the 91探花University Archives.
From Brown鈥檚 perspective, the work is as much a matter of historical scholarship as it is a means of paying homage to a group of individuals who, in a time of great adversity, darkness and doubt, courageously strove to change the narrative.
As he contends, the men who lent their energies to the Allied cause, and who worked to topple the forces of fascism and authoritarianism, serve as a powerful example of Villanova鈥檚 mission and values in action. In their earnest efforts to do their duty, confront the challenges of their day and make the world a better place, he sees an exemplification of the University鈥檚 commitment to the common good, the pursuit of justice and the practice of responsible and productive citizenship.
鈥淭he research for me shines a light more broadly on what it means to be a Villanovan,鈥� said Brown. 鈥淲hen you hear about [these individuals鈥� experiences]鈥� you really start to understand how their stories are meaningful for us as a community.鈥�
It鈥檚 within that spirit of remembrance that the University continues to reflect on the enduring cost of war鈥攏ot only in historical terms, but in deeply human ones.
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Perhaps at no point in Villanova鈥檚 history was sacrifice such a common virtue, and so widely felt, as during the World War II era.
Students surrendered their college years to defend their country. Service members abandoned the comforts of home, and the tranquility of domestic life, to complete their tours of duty. And, in the last full measure of devotion, dozens of the College鈥檚 enlistees and draftees would die on the field of battle in the pursuit of an Allied victory.
The stories of these men who made the ultimate sacrifice, chronicled across the University鈥檚 鈥淗onoring the Fallen鈥� webpages, serve as a poignant reminder of the immeasurable and indiscriminate toll of war. They also bear witness to their subjects鈥� extraordinary bravery鈥攁nd their unwavering devotion to their principles, their comrades and their country.
One notable example is the story of , a 1932 graduate, former class president and Ventnor City doctor. Described in his senior year鈥檚 Belle Air as 鈥渁 student of the first rank and an athlete who did much to add to the glory of Villanova,鈥� he would do his alma mater further credit as a captain in the U.S. Army, serving as a medic and surgeon for the 42nd Artillery of the Fourth Infantry Division.
Among the first American soldiers to invade Western Europe, Singley would tragically lose his life while tending to a fatally wounded vehicle driver on Utah Beach, a casualty of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. Survived by a wife and three children, he would posthumously be awarded the third-highest military decoration for gallantry in combat for his actions on the Normandy coast: the Silver Star Medal.
Yet another noteworthy story is that of , a 1941 graduate, Philadelphia Eagles player and . In the immediate wake of the Japanese military鈥檚 attack on Pearl Harbor, Basca decided to set aside a promising NFL career to serve his country, enlisting in the U.S. Army only months after earning his degree.
Ultimately, the halfback-turned-corporal would perish during a skirmish with German forces in France on November 11, 1944, falling while commanding a tank in battle. Moved by the loss, more than 800 mourners would file into Phoenixville鈥檚 Sacred Heart Church for his funeral Mass, and in the proceeding years, 91探花would pay tribute to his memory by naming its 鈥淣ick Basca Day鈥� in his honor.
From left to right: Harry Singley, Jr., as pictured in the 1932 “Belle Air” yearbook; Michael Basca, as pictured in the 1941 “Belle Air” yearbook; and Herman Drizin, as pictured in the summer of 1945’s “91探花Alumnus” publication. Courtesy of the 91探花University Archives.
Of all the tales of sacrifice in the line of duty, however, possibly the most well-known is that of , the onetime star of the College鈥檚 basketball team. Like so many other Villanovans, the former Wildcats point guard took up his nation鈥檚 cause toward the end of the 1942-43 academic year, leaving behind his family, friends and the possibility of an NBA career.
Drizin鈥檚 discipline and natural leadership, so evident on the court, were soon tested under the most strenuous and perilous conditions imaginable, as his battalion was tasked with invading the Japanese stronghold of Iwo Jima.
鈥淭he island was honeycombed with tunnels, expertly placed pillboxes and concrete bunkers,鈥� explained Marc Gallicchio, PhD, Villanova鈥檚 Mary M. Birle Chair in American History and an expert on the Pacific Theater. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to exaggerate how difficult it was to be caught in this maelstrom.鈥�
Facing these obstacles, Drizin displayed the same poise and command for which he was renowned as a student-athlete. One of the first Marines to land on the island, the 91探花graduate helmed an assault that penetrated deep behind enemy lines, successfully destroying three tanks. He did so while dodging from 鈥渉ill to hole, hiding behind tree stumps and rock piles鈥� amid Japanese fire, as well as 鈥渂ombing, strafing and rockets from American planes,鈥� per an account in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Word of Drizin鈥檚 heroic stand would reach the Delaware Valley in late March of 1945, shortly followed by the devastating news of his death in a subsequent engagement. He was just 24.
Eighty years later, Lieutenant Drizin鈥檚 name, actions and selfless sacrifice鈥攍ike those of Captain Singley and Corporal Basca鈥攃ontinue to resonate, a stirring example of the 鈥渦ncommon valor鈥� which characterized and still define the service of so many 91探花veterans, past and present.
鈥淭hese stories touch on so many different aspects of what it means to be a Villanovan: the humility, the desire to be a part of something bigger than yourself, even the love of basketball,鈥� reflected Brown. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 so much there that people in our community can relate to. That鈥檚 what a lot of these folks have. There鈥檚 something that was in them that鈥檚 in so many of us.鈥�
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Card containing a list of 65 Villanovans who lost their lives in World War II. Courtesy of the 91探花University Archives.
When World War II drew to a close, 91探花greeted its end with the ringing of church bells. Amid their toll, resident students and members of the surrounding community congregated at the center of campus, rejoicing at the news their neighbors, friends and family members would soon return home.
鈥淭he first thought was one of prayer and thanksgiving,鈥� read an account in The Villanovan, 鈥渁nd practically everyone visited the Chapel for a few moments of earnest prayer in thanksgiving for the ending of hostilities and in memory of their friends and relatives overseas.鈥�
By its conclusion on August 15, 1945, World War II had left virtually no corner of 91探花untouched. From football players and fraternity brothers to choral singers and Catholic priests, seemingly every segment of the College community had taken part in the struggle, rushing to the nation鈥檚 aid in its hour of greatest need.
In the process, thousands of Villanovans found themselves serving on the conflict鈥檚 frontlines, fighting in the war鈥檚 fiercest battles, operations and campaigns. They stormed the Italian peninsula, trudged through the frost-bitten Ardennes and pushed through the dense rainforests of the Marianas. Throughout, in the face of enemy fire, incredible hardship and at times insurmountable odds, they would demonstrate a capacity for bravery simply beyond words.
Of their number, at least 65 would lose their lives.
This Memorial Day, as the end of World War II approaches its 80th anniversary, the actions, efforts and sacrifices of these individuals bear remembering鈥攏ot only for their historical significance, but for the timeless lessons contained within.
鈥淓very day can be a day of memories. Memorial Day is a day of especial memories,鈥� wrote College President the Rev. Francis X.N. McGuire, OSA, in commentary for The Villanovan a year after the conflict鈥檚 conclusion. 鈥淢emorial Day bids all Americans stop and remember the immeasurable price paid for the coveted democracy in which such freedom and security are found.
鈥淥n this Memorial Day of 1946, Villanovans will remember the deeds of their heroic dead. However, we shall remember more than any other the final act of their lives鈥� Sacrifice has always been the measure of love. The supreme sacrifice is the final test of supreme love. Our memories of these noble men on this day will enable us to grasp what it means to love Truth and Justice and Freedom; what it means to love America.鈥�